Joined Destinies
by ThinkTheta123
Summary: In the year following the battle of Crait, Ben Solo finds himself in exile on a planet long connected to his family. Searching for answers, the Force Bond that has continuously connected him to Rey, opens again when she needs him most. Is it finally time for their destinies to join? Or will they always find themselves on opposing sides to the Galaxy's ever constant conflict?
1. Sun and Ice

The heat of the Tatooine suns burnt down upon Ben Solo as he stood on the sand dunes. His dark eyes scanned the horizon, taking in the vaporators that stood on the land that had once belonged to his family. Owen and Beru Lars had long since been dead, their charred bones buried hastily beneath the sand by Luke and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The farm itself stood abandoned, striped and ransacked by Tusken Raiders, and not much remained to pay homage to the family that had once lived there.

Ben turned on his heel and descended into the main living pit of the house. The hard packed walls cooled the living quarters, protecting Ben from the intense heat of the twin suns. He was thankful for the coolness, but it didn't help much. It was still swelteringly hot on this forsaken planet.

He navigated his way through the various rooms before finally arriving in the homestead garage. It was the coolest part of the house by far, and Ben could easily imagine his Uncle seeking refuge in this room. Bits of machine and tools were scattered about, not valuable enough to be taken by the Raiders. Ben looked through the rubble, kicking bits aside with his shoe, hopeful to find something that linked with his families past.

He was so engrossed with what he was doing that he didn't realize it had gone quiet. He had grown accustomed to the stillness of the desert, but this stillness was different, calming even. It was when he heard a sob behind him that he noticed the bond had started again. His heart leapt at the sound, and turning, he knew whom he would see.

Rey sat before him, a blanket draped around her. She was so curled up he could not see her face. She must have noticed the familiar silence too, because she raised her head to look at him, sorrow etched across her face. Ben gulped. He hated seeing her upset, and he could feel the raw emotion radiating off her small body. It affected him as much as it did her, threatening to tear him apart.

"What happened?" He asked, moving to sit beside her.

"I don't want to talk about it," hiccupping, she wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

"Tell me, please." He whispered, trying in his own way to comfort her.

Rey bit her lower lip, and looked at him through un-spilt tears. "I don't think they trust me anymore, the Resistance…." she looked down, consumed by her thoughts. "I think they know about our connection."

Ben's throat tightened, and he felt his hands turning into familiar fists. "That's impossible. How could they? None of them are Force sensitive."

"I don't know… the last time the bond activated we were in the middle of a meeting. I had to excuse myself, remember?"

Ben nodded, recalling their last conversation. The one when she had told him about his mother… Ben pushed the thoughts aside, focusing all of his efforts on the present.

"I don't think they understand the true nature of our bond, but I think they understand something…" She looked at him and held out her hand. "Let me show you what happened. I said I didn't want to talk about it, but I can show you…"

Ben looked at her intensely, careful not to break eye contact with her. He reached out and took her hand– and the world of Tatooine dissolved around him.

"You know where he is!" Poe Dameron said, his voice forceful.

Rey was sitting in what Ben could only assume was the Resistance control room. Resistance leaders encircled her: Poe Dameron, Finn, Rose, and a few others Ben could not name. All of them were young, anywhere from teenagers to young adults. Finn was off to the side, standing close to Rose, a disapproving look on his face. He obviously didn't like what was happening. Rose's eyes flickered from Finn to Rey as she moved closer to the former Stormtrooper.

"I don't!" Rey said firmly, "I know as much as you do. That Supreme Leader Ren is in exile, that the First Order and the Knights of Ren rose against him, that General Hux is now the new Supreme Leader–"

Poe raised his hand, cutting Rey off.

"We all know that. Our intelligence is great enough to understand most of what occurred during the military coup against Ren. We know he left, injured and disgraced to some unknown location. What I want you to tell me is where Kylo Ren _is_."

"I already told you that I don't know!" Rey shouted. Ben could feel her rising frustration and hurt at being subjected to an interrogation of this kind. "If the First Order cannot find him, then how do you expect me to know where he is?"

Poe crossed his arms over his chest as he spoke. "Where did you go during our last intelligence meeting, Rey?"

At this question, the color drained from Rey's face. "I had… I had to…"

"Is he communicating with you via the Force? You two are the last Force users in the galaxy. You expect me to believe that you don't have contact with him?"

"We are not the last Force users! There are others, I just don't know where they are either."

"Answer the question!" Poe spat, righteous anger bubbling over.

"Poe…" Finn said from the corner. "Leaver her alone, she doesn't know anything."

Rey looked at Finn, deep appreciation for her friend evident on her face. Ben was beginning to like Finn more, feeling only slightly guilty about the lightsaber wound he had given him on Starkiller Base…

"You were on the _Supremacy_ that day, but you never told us what really happened. Yes, Ren killed Snoke, saving your life… but why did such an act have to occur in the first place? Why did you need saving? You were supposed to be on Ahch-To with Luke Skywalker, not flying around the galaxy and ending up a prisoner of the First Order… Again."

The atmosphere in the room dropped at Poe's words. It was clear that in the year since Crait, no one else had thought to question Rey's presence on the _Supremacy_. Now that the question was out there, it hung in the tense air.

Ben had no idea how Rey was going to answer. He himself knew what happened when he had tried to lie about what had transpired in Snoke's throne room. His answer had almost cost him his life when Hux's own suspicions had come to a head.

Rey just stared at Poe. Ben could see the gears of her mind spinning, trying to find a suitable answer to appease him. "I went to the _Supremacy_ on my own accord."

"Exactly! No one just walks aboard a First Order ship, no one that is considered an enemy anyway. I think that you went to report on the Resistance, to tell Supreme Leader Snoke all that you had learned about the Resistance and Skywalker."

"Poe really?! This is insane!" Finn shouted, slamming his had down on a control panel. But Poe continues his advance on Rey.

"You and Ren conspired to kill Snoke together. How else can you explain the First Order rising against Ren? Treason is the only motivation I can think of. Why did Ren take you during the battle on Takodana, how did you escape with not so much as a scratch on you? When I was prisoner of the First Order, I was tortured. I was beaten so that they could have the map to Skywalker. Finally, Ren probed my mind until he got what he needed. Stormtroopers dragged me onto his ship; you Kylo Ren himself carried you on to the same ship! You were on Starkiller Base for hours before you made contact with Finn. And no one knows what transpired between the two of you after Ren cut down Finn. What really happened on Starkiller Base, Rey?"

Ben's own mouth hung open slightly. This rogue was actually dumber than Ben gave him credit for. Of course Ben's treatment of Rey would raise questions. Of course her multiple escapes from harm would generate suspicion. It seemed as if Poe Dameron suspected that Rey had always been an agent of the First Order, an equal to Kylo Ren in darkness, or working with him from the beginning…. Well in regard to the former theory, Dameron was correct. She was his equal in the light, but there was so much he had gotten wrong.

Rey's face matched Ben's, her own astonishment at Poe's analysis evident on her face. She locked her eyes with Poe's, "Kylo Ren took me as a prisoner because I had seen the map to Skywalker, and he wanted to extract the information from me. He knew what I had seen, and wanted the information so he could find Luke."

A grin spread across Poe's face, one that Ben did not like to see directed at Rey.

"Because of what you had seen, Kylo Ren thought he could gather intelligence from you. You have seen too much of the Resistance, Rey. I believe you are a liability to us. Yours and Ren's paths have crossed too much for my liking. I don't know what connection you have with Ren, but I can't take any risks! Too many lives have been lost already do to my carelessness. Rey, I'm sorry, but you put us all at risk by simply being here. Unless…" Poe paused, a calculating look on his face. Ben was familiar with looks like these on military personnel. He had seen Hux's face take the same shape when he realized he could use a situation to the First Order's gain. It didn't matter what side of the conflict you were on war was still war. "Unless you use this connection I _know_ you have with Ren for our advantage. Tune into his mind, gather intelligence on his location for us, and then I will believe that you are a friend to the Resistance."

"I am a friend to the Resistance. Besides, what use do you have with a disgraced and wounded former Supreme Leader?" Rey said, tears beginning to fill her eyes. She blinked and looked away, trying to control her emotions.

"Kylo Ren is still powerful in the Force, and he is a risk to the Resistance as long as he lives. Spy on him, deliver him into our hands, and we can have trust once more."

Rey's hands clenched into fists, "That is _not_ how the Force works!" she screamed.

Ben felt it surge through her before the others realized what was happening. The Force, the rage, the passion that Rey usually did so well controlling burst out. She screamed again, a feral sound Ben had only heard while she was in combat. Suddenly, computers, machines and various other devices erupted into sparks, imploding in on themselves causing a cascade of fire and sending a strong smell of burning things through the air.

Then it was all gone, and Ben was sitting with Rey once again, her hand clutching his.

He locked his eyes on hers, full of understanding. "You couldn't control what happened." He said, putting his arm around her, drawing her close. He knew all to well what happened when a Jedi's Force abilities ran out of control, especially when their emotions got the better of them, and Rey was still young in her abilities. It had happened to him too, multiple times.

"I know. Everyone was alright, I think." Rey nuzzled her face into Ben's side. He could feel her warmth and smiled a little at their closeness. They sat there for a moment, Rey just letting Ben hold her as he stroked her hair with his free hand.

Rey lifted her head and looked at Ben, a fierce and blazing look in her eyes. "I will not betray you, Ben! I will not surrender you to the Resistance. To betray you is to betray myself." She said, tears still streaming from her eyes but her voice steady and firm with resolve. Ben's heart beat a little faster at her words, and soft warmth burned across his chest.

"I feel more alone now than I ever did on Ahch-To. I feel as if every friend I have here thinks I am a monster."

Ben tightened his arm around her. "You are not a monster, and you are not alone. People just don't understand the strength you have in the Force…. It intimidates them. They can sympathize, but never truly understand. But Finn is still your friend, so is Rose. I could see how displeased they were with your interrogation. As for Poe… I think he places the Resistance above everything else. He's just trying to win this war." Ben looked around. He could still not see her surroundings, though of late, they could begin to make out rough outlines of objects and things that surrounded the other person. Their bond was getting stronger, and lasting for longer intervals of time. They still never knew when it would end; but usually they could talk until someone interrupted them, or the Force decided they had talked enough.

"Where are you?" he asked, his eyes making out a rough outline of what he supposed was a window.

Rey sniffled. "My quarters. I've been in here since the incident this morning. It's dark now."

"Are you safe?" Rey nodded in response.

"I don't think they would hurt me…" Ben let a grunt slip past his lips. He had to make sure she was safe. He closed his eyes and stretched out with his feelings. He could feel everything going on in her room, even though she was light years away from him. "You aren't locked in there, are you?"

He felt her shake her head no. He reached out again. There was something… "You are some place very cold…"

Rey snorted with derision. "If Hoth had a cousin, then it would be this ice cube." Ben opened his eyes and looked at her, an amused smile on his face.

"How are you handling the cold? You… a Jakku girl?" She smiled at him.

"I hate it… although the snow is quite pretty. I like looking at snowflakes– watching them dissolve on my fingertips." Her description of snow warmed him. He loved watching her discover new and exciting things that had been denied to her in her childhood on Jakku.

He saw her take a deep breath, an close her eyes, exhaling.

She reached out through the Force, out to him all the way on Tatooine. He could feel it wrap around him like a warm blanket. "You are somewhere very warm. Mhmmm. It is nice where you are… where are you exactly?"

Ben tensed next to her, and she opened her eyes in alarm. Sensing his thoughts, and finding embarrassment she stumbled "No! No, I don't mean because I want to— I would never tell the Resistance. Ben, you must believe me." She said, taking his large hand in her own.

"I do." He paused, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. He looked at his own surroundings. The piles of debris were useless. Just broken hunks of junk that held no answers. "I'm on Tatooine."

Rey's brows crinkled. "Tatooine? What are you doing there?" She asked in astonishment.

Ben gave a sarcastic laugh. "I came here looking for answers. I've been here since I healed from the wound Hux gave me." His jaw tightened at the memory of Hux.

"I thought you were looking a little tanner." Rey said, nudging his side playfully. Ben laughed again.

"Tatooine is where my grandparents met. It is where Luke was raised by his aunt and uncle and where my namesake hid for nineteen years from the Empire. It's where my father met Luke, and where he was handed over to Jabba the Hutt as a slab of carbonite. It's where my parents were reunited… It all pointed back to Tatooine. I thought I could find something here. But all I have found are ghosts and broken memories."

He looked at Rey again, and ran his thumb over the mark above her eyebrow, where a Praetorian guard had struck her. She closed her eyes at his touch, and Ben thought he could feel her shiver slightly.

"The Skywalkers began here… maybe they should end here too." He said, taking his hand from her face. Her eyes shot open.

"What do you mean: "should end here?"' She asked, concern in her voice.

"What life is there for a disgraced Supreme Leader? Maybe I should live out the rest of my days in this sand pit. With ghosts and Jawas to keep me company." He knew Rey wouldn't appreciate this kind of talk, and he was right.

She gave him that blazing look again, the one that made him shake slightly in fear but also gave him a fierce desire to kiss her.

"Ben Solo, your true legacy– your true destiny, is in the truth of your family. How long are you going to deny it? You are destined to bring balance to the Force! I have seen it. I've seen it again and again since we touched hands on Ahch-To. I see your future in my dreams and constantly in my waking hours… and I believe it is true. You have already denied Snoke and the First Order. You have adopted your given name and forsaken your identity as Kylo Ren. It is time for you to truly finish what Anakin Skywalker started."

Her eyes were blazing with hope and conviction. She believed every word she spoke with such earnest passion that Ben believed her too. He had not had the strength to accept the hope she offered him aboard the _Supremacy_ , but now, so much had happened. So much pain and loss, he knew he could not do anything without her by his side.

He turned his whole body towards her- taking both her hands in his- he looked deep into her hazel eyes.

"Rey, I can't do this without you. I tried to once, and failed. I asked you to join me before, but that wasn't the right time… I know that now." She smiled, blushing a little remembering what he had asked her on the _Supremacy_. "Come to me." He whispered.

She blinked at him. "To Tatooine? That planet is worst than Jakku!"

Ben chuckled. "No, no not here. I don't want you anywhere near this hive of scum and villainy."

"You do remember that I was a scavenger on Jakku, right? I can take care of myself."

Ben beamed at her. He loved her confidence and strength. He brushed a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face and tucked it behind her ear as he spoke. "I know you can. Meet me where it all started– Where the Jedi started– on Ahch-To."

Rey smiled at him, "You are going to need a map to get there." Ben smiled back, then he leaned forward a little, playing with her.

He lowered his voice an octave and starred at her through his lashes, "You've seen the map, now you'll give it me." He said, playfully tickling her sides.

She laughed at the memory of their first encounter, the day that the Force had awoken something in the both of them, something that had always been there. She reached up and took hold of him behind his neck and pulled his face down inches in front of her own.

Ben could feel the warmth of her breath that escaped passed her pink lips as they parted slightly. She drew him closer. His breath quickened as he realized what was about to happen. She closed her eyes and slowly moved her lips to touch his.

The kiss was soft, like she was. Ben could taste the sent of oranges and honey on her lips. He felt as if he could melt. The coolness that surrounded her on her own ice planet seemed to blend with the heat that radiated off of Tatooine. Ben could get lost in this new, uncharted world. He weaved his fingers through her hair, thankful that he had long since shed his gloves.

In response, Rey placed her hand on the side of Ben's face. The moment she did, the map flashed before his eyes. The shock of it broke their kiss, and Ben lurched back. He had seen something else.

"You need to leave. Now!" He said, his voice stern.

Rey looked at him, surprised. "What?"

"There are some within the Resistance who want to put you under house arrest. You need to leave, Rey. Take the _Falcon_ , and come to me on Ahch-To." He placed both his hands on either side of her face, and pressed his forehead to hers. He could feel that the time the Force had allowed was coming to an end.

"They won't try to hurt you, but if you don't leave then we won't be able to see each other again." He closed his eyes, willing her to see the vision that now plagued him. He felt it pass from his mind to hers, and Rey gasped with understanding.

"Ben." She choked, sensing the connection beginning to fade.

"Come to me." He said, and then he was gone.

Rey shivered in the coolness of her chambers, starring at the space Ben had just occupied. The bitterness of the room had not bothered her during their exchange, but now it grabbed at her flesh, making her body shake with cold.

She jumped up and ran about her room; gathering all she could and shoving it into her knapsack. She looked to the corner where the chest of Padme Amidala's dresses sat, and threw open the lid. She found the gown she was looking for and carefully folded it and placed it on top of the other items already in her bag.

Scanning the room a second time, she realized she had almost forgotten her lightsaber. " _This weapon is your life!"_ Ben had told her once. She clipped it to her belt, and knew that she might have to use it.

The time had come for Rey to join Ben, just as he had prophesied in the elevator on the _Supremacy_. It was time for her to turn, not to the dark side as Kylo Ren had believed, but to turn towards her destiny– the destiny she shared with Ben Solo.

It was time, at last, for their destinies to join and balance to come to the Force.


	2. Healing Touch

Six Months Earlier

Pain seared across Rey's side, the intensity of it making her drop her spoon. The Resistance mess hall was crowded, workers gathered together in a brief pause in the otherwise calculated routine of the day. Their jubilant chatter reverberated around as momentarily, everyone forgot about the war and reviled in the company of a shared meal.

Rey pressed her hand to her right side where the pain throbbed.

"You okay?" Finn asked, eyeing her over his soup, his own spoon hanging in the air as he watched her.

"I-I don't know." Rey answered, tenderly probing her side, checking for any soreness. Strange… she had never felt pain like that before: sudden, and smarting, then instantly gone as fast as it had come.

"Maybe you should go to the medbay, get checked out."

Rey opened her mouth to protest, but at that moment she felt a burning race up her side again and she gasped in pain.

"Rey, seriously! Get to the medbay!" Finn ordered, rising to his feet.

But as soon as the pain had come, it vanished again. There was something else—Rey felt a familiar prickling trickle up her spine. She held her hand up to Finn who had started taking her arm in an attempt to help Rey to her feet.

"No…no. I'm fine, Finn, really. I think I'll just head back to my quarters for a while, get some sleep."

"But Rey, you are in serious pain."

Rey chewed her bottom lip, sensing she didn't have long to get to her quarters in peace. The last place she needed to be was in the medbay. She needed privacy.

"No, I think I pulled something when I was training yesterday."

Finn released her. "You gotta be more careful with that lightsaber of yours." He said, grimacing. He was clearly remembering his own experience with the ancient weapon.

Rey gave him a small smile, attempting to reassure him. "I know. Come check on me in about an hour, okay?"

"Okay… But—" Before Finn could protest further, Rey hurried off.

Leaving the mess, she made her way down the halls of the Resistance headquarters. Most of the workers were at lunch, so the corridors were almost deserted say for a few maintenance techs doing mid-day repair work.

Because of the nature of the war, the rebels were constantly on the move. Since Crait, the resistance had grown into a full-scale rebellion. Sympathizers were joining up every day from all the corners of the Galaxy. Luke Skywalker's final act had been a spark of hope that now blazed across the galaxy, threatening to burn the First Order into ash, along with its new Supreme Leader.

Rey quickened her steps, the prickling up her spine intensifying as she moved. Her quarters were not far, which she was thankful for as the throbbing began in her side again for the third time. The severity of it made her vision begin to blur.

Touching her hand to her door, it whooshed open and Rey stumbled into her quarters, falling to her knees she squinted her eyes shut against the pain.

It was unbearable, and she felt as if her life's blood was pouring out of her, so extreme that she could almost smell the rusty sent.

Opening her eyes slowly she looked down to her side, fully expecting to find it bathed in blood.

Nothing was there. No wound, no cut… Nothing.

Then she felt the prickling again and the familiar pull behind her naval. The power of the connection made her feel woozy. Looking up she saw a large mass of black robes heaped on the floor across from her. She sensed the presence she had not encountered since Crait six months prior, and the shock of the renewed bond almost knocked her over.

"B-B-Ben?" She gasped.

It was him it had to be. They had not see each other since that day on Crait, when their bond had opened again for a brief moment before she had closed the _Falcon_ door. Rey had assumed their strange connection was broken. That it had only ever been a lie, something corrupted and manufactured by Snoke. She saw the mass move slightly at the sound of her voice, looking like a wounded creature that had fallen in the hunt.

A low moan come from the heap as she crawled over to it, still doubled over in pain herself.

Making her way to him, Rey saw that Ben's cape was sprawled out around him and he was curled up on his left side, his back to her. Touching his right shoulder, Rey rolled him onto his back. This took surprisingly little effort, the first sign of how hurt he must be because ordinarily, Rey guessed, it would take quite a bit of force to move him.

His already pale face was drained of all its color making his red scar stand out more prominent than ever. Ben's eyes were closed tight in agony, his lips slightly parted as another moan slipped past them.

Her heart swelled with compassion for him as she brushed his damp hair from his face. Suddenly, the pain gripped both of them, causing her and Ben screamed out in mutual pain.

"What-what happened?" Rey panted when the pain had subsided a little.

Ben's lips moved without forming a sound.

"What?" She asked.

"H-Hux." Ben rasped, his eyes still locked tight, he shuddered and went still.

Rey's heart pounded in her ears, fear consuming her at his sudden stillness.

"Ben!" She exclaimed, shaking him slightly. His dark eyes fluttered open at her touch.

"Rey…" He whispered. "Help me… please." His plea was like that of a child seeking comfort. He grabbed for her hand and took it in his own. Rey felt something slick on his glove, and looking down she realized his hand was covered in blood. Rey's stomach turned with revulsion at the sticky feeling on her skin, and the unwelcomed smell of rust in her nostrils. Casting her eyes down his body, she now realized the pool of blood coming from Ben's right side.

 _Of course! Of course he is bleeding you moofmilker!_ Rey thought, cursing herself for her own stupid ignorance.

Ben mumbled something else, something that sounded vaguely like "The Force."

 _The Force!_ Jumping to her feet, Rey hurried to her bookcase where the Jedi Texts were kept. She felt foolish at having to run to the books with Ben laying there in a pool of his own blood, but in truth, she felt so inadequate that the first thing she thought to do was fumble through the sacred books. She didn't really know what she was looking for, and she could not make out the strange markings in the books, but she knew by the sight of the blood pool that Ben didn't have long. Her hands trembled as she thumbed through the pages, leaving red streaks of blood in her haste as she desperately looked for anything that would help.

"A book isn't going to help me now, Sweetheart." Ben muttered sarcastically.

Rey looked at him, and despite his condition she was slightly irritated at his touching sarcasm.

"I'm trying to help you." Her voiced cracked. She had been aiming for annoyed, but her voice betrayed her as she choked on her own emotion. She was terrified, more terrified than she had ever been, even when she had been kneeling before Snoke. She was frightened that he was going to die. What could she do for him anyway? She was light years away from him.

In spite of his pain, Ben somehow managed to prop himself up with his left elbow and peered up at Rey.

"Come here," he groaned.

Rey gazed at him from over one of the books, then seeing the look in his eyes, she turned away. Still looked through the pages as she spoke, but didn't really see them. "These have the answer, I can… I can…"

"Rey."

She turned again at the sound of her name on his lips. It was so close to how he had said it when he had been trapped, his head locked by the Praetorian Guard before she had thrown him Anakin's lightsaber. Her eyes found his. He was desperate, as close to death as he had been then. She walked over and kneeled down beside him, transfixed on the growing pool of blood.

"I don't know what to do," she whispered, hanging her head in dejection.

What if he died due to her inexperience; what if she couldn't save him?

"I'm going to have to teach you." He shifted his weight again as his fingers fiddled with his shirt, smearing blood everywhere. He gave a huff of fury at his own inadequacy. "You are going to have to remove my shirt." He said, looking at her.

Red color flooded Rey's face as she remembered the last time she had seen him de-robed.

Sensing her embarrassment, Ben sighed. "Rey! We have no time for this. Either remove my shirt or watch me die."

He was right. Steadying her hands she unfastened his shirt and slipped it off, taking care around his right side. He grunted and winced, but clearly tried to keep his pain hidden from her. It didn't work. She could feel every jostle that she inflicted.

His chest still bore the scars she had given him on Starkiller Base, and she could see Chewie's bowcaster wound large and bright red on his lower abdomen. Focusing her attention to his right side, she now saw the new gapping wound in his pale flesh. It reminded her of the great caverns on Crait, their crystal walls that ran jagged on the snow-white surface. Rey felt her soup turning in her stomach. His injury ran the full length of his right side, from under his armpit to the top of his hip. It was deep, and Rey observed that it must have been done by an experienced hand; a hand that wanted to kill.

Hands shaking, Rey's fingers brushed the edge of the wound. Ben recoiled from her touch, and so did she, drawing back, afraid of causing him further pain. Her hazel eyes met his sure that he could see her panic and uncertainty.

"Now what?" she gasped, dangerously close to tears. She could not handle this! It was all too much.

"You are going to have to heal me with the Force."

"What!" She surveyed his wound in alarm. "B-But I can't."

"If you can't then I don't like the alternative. Rey, there is no other way—I am too weak to do it myself."

Rey closed her eyes. Luke had told her that being a Jedi was more than about lifting rocks, and this... _this_ was definitely harder than lifting rocks. It would require complete and utter focus.

"Tell me what to do, " she replied, still keeping her eyes closed. She didn't what her sight to cloud her sense of the Living Force.

She felt Ben take both her hands and lay them on his side. Rey could feel a trickle of blood ooze between her fingers. Ben pressed his own large hand over hers, helping her apply pressure.

"Focus." He commanded. "Reach out."

Rey did as he told her. She breathed in and then slowly exhaled.

She felt the blood on her fingers, yes, that was obvious. She pushed deeper with her mind, beyond what she could touch, and could see inside Ben's wound. The flesh was separated, leaving the wound gaping and open. This would have to be mended. She reached out farther and could visualize the blood vessels and veins that had been cut being made whole again.

"What do you see?" Ben whispered, still applying pressure with his hand.

"You."

"Focus again, this time on the extent of the damage. Focus on knitting the flesh together…" Ben's voice trailed off. She could tell that he was close to loosing consciousness.

Inhaling again, she could see his heart, pumping his blood through out his body. It was slowing a little in its rhythm, fighting to pump more blood to make up for the amount he was loosing. Rey pictured the pool slowly being absorbed back into Ben's body. She felt his heart beat faster, sensed that it didn't need to work as hard as a soft heat began to spread across his chest. Warmth welled in Rey's own heart, and it flooded down her arms and out to the tips of her fingers. It was powerful, so inviting and rejuvenating. She sensed Ben's blood being restored to him, pictured the flesh being knitted together as he had said.

Sweat dripped on her brow, but Rey's focus could not waver. She pushed, the warmth radiating so hot that she was surprised Ben did not cry out in pain at being burned. The light side of the Force encouraged her onward, inviting and healing. The power of it was overwhelming, almost to a point where Rey felt like she was loosing her own sense of self. She was becoming one with the Force as it used her to heal the fallen Jedi.

A blinding beam of light radiated from her heart, and then, like a dying star, exploded outward, sending rays throughout the room that engulfed the two of them. The light hung there a moment, then, almost as quickly, it flooded back into her, where it had always been.

Rey was shaking, her eyes closed, and she could feel her cheek against something cold and solid. Slowly opening her eyes, Rey found herself back on the floor of her quarters. She must have been knocked over by something.

Sitting up, she saw Ben still laying before her, breathing steadily, his eyes wide. Rey momentarily forgot what had happened as she looked at Ben again. In his eyes she found amazement, curiosity, and satisfaction.

"What happened?" She asked.

Ben gestured to his side in response. Rey looked, and where there had been a large wound there was a smaller one, still bleeding, but much more manageable than before. "How?" She didn't understand.

"You healed me. Not fully, but it's progress. " He was still on his back, his shirt open, exposing the steady rise and fall of his chest and his multiple scars. How could one person have been physically injured that many times and survived? Rey supposed it must have spoken to some hidden strength that Ben possessed, something outside just his Force abilities.

Rey crinkled her brow in question. What she had experienced had been overwhelming, powerful and astonishing. How could that have only healed him partially?

Ben's eyes surveyed her face, taking in her puzzled expression.

"You are still learning, but you did remarkably well for someone so young in their Force abilities. I barley needed to guide you… How did you know what to do?"

Rey looked at her hands, they were free from Ben's blood, as if it had never been there.

"I-I don't know. I just followed the light."

Ben let out a snort of derision and glanced to the floor where one of the Jedi books lay open, its antique pages still smeared with his blood. "What is that?" he asked, sounding like a curious student.

Rey glanced down to the book and snatched it up out of his view. "It is Jedi business. It doesn't concern you."

Rey saw his jaw clench at her words, clearly angered by them. Rey put the book down and scotched closer to where he was sprawled on the floor, wanting to get a closer look at his wound. She reached out to him, and Ben caught her by the wrist.

"What are you doing?" He barked, holding her wrist tightly in his large gloved hand. Rey's eyes narrowed.

"I need to try again, you are still in pain."

Ben released her and looked away, his eyes fixed on some distant point. "I am always in pain."

At his words, the same compassion fluttered again in Rey's breast. She knew he didn't mean his physical pain, but his spiritual torment that he had endured for who knows how long. Rey folded her hands in her lap, pausing.

He was so broken. His multiple scars each served as a constant reminder of the crimes he had committed. Rey remembered hearing stories about Ben's grandfather and how he had been more machine than man. She hoped that Ben wasn't trying to become like that, a mass of wires and parts was no substitution for flesh and blood. True, machines could not feel, but that didn't mean he had to become one. It was as if Ben was trying so hard to not be human, to not feel the grief that he so desperately needed to face.

"I know." Rey finally responded. "But let's get you healed and we can focus on everything else later."

Ben looked at her, his dark eyes searching her face. Rey had never seen eyes like his before; eyes that looked like they were ancient and yet were full of youthful vulnerability.

"Why do you care? Why would a Jedi want to save a Jedi killer?" He barked.

Rey had to resist firing back at him with a cutting retort. At least it sounded like he was feeling better if he could snarl at her like that.

"Because!" She exclaimed, "Jedi or not I have seen the good man you are, the good man you are supposed to be. Now sit back, and let me heal you."

Ben glowered at her, "Fine." He hissed, turning his head away.

Rey found her anger mounting. Why was he acting like this? She had just saved his life and was attempting to do a better job of it. Then she remembered the cold planet of Starkiller base, the snow swirling as she and Finn looked on at a man in black, his lightsaber ignited as he continuously punched himself in the wound on his abdomen causing blood to speckle in crimson patches on the pure white snow. Pain was a tool of the dark side.

Sighing, Rey spoke. "It doesn't have to be this hard, Ben. You don't have to live your life in pain." She gently placed her hand on his side again. He inhaled sharply at her touch, and looked back at her. "Let me help you… please." She said, giving him a small smile.

Reaching up to her, Ben placed his hand over her own again, a gesture of compliance. He nodded, and laid back, his eyes closed.

Rey closed her own eyes and breathed in, then exhaled slowly. She could feel the light, but it didn't come as readily to her as before. Squinting her brows in frustration she reached out, chasing after the warmth that had been her guide. It avoided her.

"Ben," she moaned, realizing the cause of the evasive light. "You are going to have to help me."

"You did fine without me before. Why not now?"

"I don't know! I just need you." She was getting annoyed at him and his constant self-deprecation. She knew that they needed to work together this time- she _sensed_ it. Only if they worked in perfect union could he be healed, at least physically.

"Rey, I don't know if I can." He whispered, taking his hand from hers. Rey opened her eyes as he drew back and gave him a look that demanded him reply.

"Healing is… healing through the Force is mostly a light side ability. I don't think… I don't think there is enough light left in me for it to work." Even on the ground, Rey noticed his shoulders seemingly sag with defeat. Maybe there was hope for him after all…

"Ben, close your eyes." She demanded. He looked at her, puzzled. "Just do it!" She snapped. He obeyed, and Rey hoped he was at least a little afraid that she would throttle him if he didn't comply.

He had told her once that she needed a teacher, and she did. But so did he. He needed someone to guide him back to the light, and she was going to try as hard as she could to aid him. She closed her eyes, listening to her own orders.

"Now, reach out and feel the warmth. The light, it has always been there, it has always been in you." Rey felt a flutter, as Ben breathed in.

"Always?" He asked.

"Always." She replied, placing his hand over the wound, and applying pressure with her own. It probably wasn't as effective, considering his hands were much larger than hers, still, she felt it was important that he be the one to do most of the work.

They breathed simultaneously as a gentle warmth wash over both of them. It wasn't the intense burning Rey had encountered earlier, this was gentle, like spring sun giving way for new life. The heat tickled the tips of her fingers, and she felt Ben's own hand begin to radiate. She focused on her breathing, and found that Ben's breath matched her tempo. She felt his presence, bright like the Jakku sun, as a blazing heat pulsed from his hand into his side.

Both gasping, they opened their eyes. A shadow of a smile played on Ben's lips as he craned his head to examine his wound. He looked up at her, his eyes full of… what? Hope?

She looked too, noting that the bleeding had stopped and the blood had begun to crust into something resembling a scab.

"Still not perfect." She said.

"Good enough." Ben huffed as he pushed himself up into a seated position as he slowly pulled his shirt back over his broad shoulders. The front of it still hung open; he seemed to think that he was descent enough.

"Thank you." He said, slowly raising his eyes to hers.

Rey felt her mouth go slightly dry, and she looked back to the book, afraid to meet his eyes.

Kylo Ren sat there waiting for her to speak. He didn't like the sudden awkward silence that had fallen between them. They had worked together to stop his flow of blood, but something was causing the young woman to retreat from him again.

He worried his mouth, remembering what had passed between them the last time they had conversed. It had ended with, what Kylo now recognized as, a botched plea for her to join him. She, in her sensibility and stubborn pride, had not only refused him, but had attempted to retrieve his grandfather's lightsaber back to herself through the Force. The result had left Kylo hurt and humiliated as she abandoned him in the ashes.

He had seen her only one more time. The connection had opened just as the Resistance was escaping onto the _Falcon_. Rey had stood on the bridge, looking down at Kylo as he knelt a mile away in what had been the control room, holding his father's dice tight in his hands.

Her sudden presence had given him a moment of hope, or something that tasted like hope on the planet made of salt. He had looked at her, pleading with her not to leave, trying to tell her without words how sorry he was, how much he regretted everything because of her. _Rey_.

The six months without her had been… well not normal. Every second Kylo had waited in anticipation of her reappearance. He had waited for her at night, desperate to stay awake in case their bond re-opened. On his waking he found he was afraid to open his eyes, fearful that she would not be there. She never was. He had come to accept that their bond, however powerful it had been, was create by Snoke as a tool to control him like a puppet on a string.

If that were true, however, then how was she here now? How could she touch him… _heal_ him? How could he feel the heat from her fingers against his torn flesh or sense her awkwardness at the sight of his bare chest? Rey asked the same question.

"How can I still see you?"

Kylo cleared his throat, "I'm n-" Rey cut him off.

"I thought this connection… this bond, was a lie. I thought it was created by Snoke." She said casting him an accusatory look, as if he too was something created by his former master.

Kylo raised his brows. "I don't know. I don't control this, you know that."

Rey moved, hugging legs by wrapping her arms around them tight. He could easily picture her doing something similar in her lonely childhood on Jakku. It struck Kylo as a very vulnerable gesture to do in front of someone. Maybe, just maybe, she didn't loathe him after all.

They sat there in silence; Kylo secretly hoping the Force would hurry up and break the connection. Solitude was superior to this cutting tension.

"I almost came with you." Rey whispered, so softly that Kylo hadn't seen her lips move, he would have doubted it was true.

He felt the slight tug behind his naval; their time was coming to an end. Now, he wanted it to continue, he wanted more than anything to talk with her. Hadn't he been hopping for this opportunity for months? He wanted to explain everything to her; he needed to make her understand.

Her hazel eyes locked on his, and Ben felt the warmth he had experienced during the healing spread through his body.

"I know." He murmured.

Kylo felt the regret and shame that had been lingering below the surface for months boil over. None of it had been worth it. Suffering the years of abuse and torment that had been the culmination of his apprenticeship with Snoke, murdering his father in cold blood, and finally killing his master -that at least had been worth it -but at what cost? Kylo looked at his hands, his gloves still saturated with his own blood. The crimson that had come from his own body seemed to blend with the blood of the countless lives he had taken or had watched be snuffed out over the years. Jedi students, Lor San Tekka, the villagers on Jakku, the Hosian System- He just wanted to be rid of all of it-to be clean.

Yanking his gloves off, he tossed them aside and looked at Rey. She was so pure, so uninhibited by the deep troubles of the galaxy. How he ached to be near that purity, to have that same innocence within him.

Gradually, Kylo slid his right hand towards Rey's. She gazed at his face, contemplating what he was doing as the Jedi Killer raised his hand in a peace offering to the Last Jedi. She didn't reach out for him, but she didn't recoil either. He continued, reaching for her as if she were the only truth in the galaxy, the only safe port for him to take refuge in.

Their fingertips brushed, and Rey exhaled softly. "Ben…" She said, breathily.

 _Tap, tap, tap._ There was a knock on her door. Her eyes found his, full of sadness and longing, and then—she was gone.

Kylo's hand hovered above the floor of his escape pod. Sirens and alarms that had been silent moments before now blared to life, their screams desperate to be acknowledged.

Taking in his surroundings, Kylo hoisted himself into the control seat, pain still stinging in his side. The control panels were smeared with his blood. Somehow, in his delirium, he hand managed to fly and land the escape pod—the question was, where? His dark eyes scanned the panel, finely finding the navigation chart. The First Order had been near the Viyna System, a collection of lush jungle like planets that the First Order was using for the vast amount of natural resources. A wide range of species populated the system, but the natives were less than welcoming to agents of the First Order.

Kylo pressed a button and a hallo of a planet shot into view with the name reading: _Viynov 1_. Kylo cursed. The First Order would not allow him to escape that easily. He was certain that Hux and his Stormtroopers were already on their way to his miniscule planet to finish the job they had begun during the coup.

He jumped to his feet, blood rushing from his head making him feel lightheaded enough to pass out. He had moved too quickly. Having lost so much blood his body was not ready for him to move with such determination. Steadying himself against the chair, Kylo struggled to regain focus. Well, that was not going to work. The Force was going to have to aid him where his own physical strength ran short.

Shutting himself off from the throbbing in his temples and the fear that prickled at the back of his mind, Kylo closed his eyes and reached out with his feelings. He could see a dozen or so TIE fighters zooming through the darkness of space as they made their way to Viynov 1. He could see the surroundings of his pod, and the path that lead to a small outpost not far away. It would surly have a cantina.

Kylo opened his eyes. If he had learned anything at his father's knee it was that every planet had a hive of swindlers and space pirates to barter with if one ever found oneself without transport on an unknown planet.

He needed to leave this system, and quickly, and he was going to have to use his father's methods to do so.


End file.
